


Stand In The Heat

by Al0homora



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, F/M, Friendship, Gang Violence, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Politics, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 02:20:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14415546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Al0homora/pseuds/Al0homora
Summary: After extreme circumstances uproot Rey from the only life she's ever known within the mechanic's garage of Unkar Plutt, she finds herself surrounded by a new group of friends, including Poe, Finn, and Ben Solo, and trying to adjust to a life entirely unlike anything she's ever known. What history will Rey's new life uncover, and what new conflicts will arise? Set in modern day New York, but with a background of alternate history and Star Wars influence.





	1. All Because of a Cat

Rey scowls as she hears the metallic sound of something falling from a shelf again, hoping that Unkar isn’t in the garage to see it. She glances out from under the car she’s been trying to salvage parts from to see the white and orange spotted cat that she had taken pity on the day before running through the space in hyper circles. She wasn’t supposed to have a cat here, but she hadn’t know what to do with it. She had found on the street outside whilst running an errand for her boss, and it didn’t have any tags on its collar other than a heart that simply read: Bb-8. She could’t make herself give it up to an animal shelter in case its owner came back, so she had brought it in from the cold and the traffic filled streets, and fed it, letting it sleep in her small room upstairs until she figured out what to do. Luckily, in his drunken and lazy stupor, her former foster father and current boss, Unkar Plutt, hadn’t yet noticed its presence. That would probably change if the cat kept making such a mess of the place, though.

“Hello?” She hears a voice call out, and she slides out from under the car, the cat coming to hide behind her.

“Over here!” she calls out, standing up to see a worried looking man with dark skin and short hair standing by the open garage door, two cars away from where she had been working. “Can I help you?” She asks, in her vaguely British accent, wiping grease from her hands with a rag.

“Probably not,” says the young man, frowning, “I know its a long shot, but I’m looking for a cat that was lost on this street two days ago. I’m just asking around everywhere to see if anyone has seen her.”

Rey’s expression goes from cool to warm. “An orange and white one, by any chance?” She asks, glancing down to the creature now weaving itself in and out of her legs beyond this boy’s line of vision.

The boy’s eyebrows raise. “Yeah! Have you seen her?” He’s excited now.

Rey leans down, plucking the creature from the concrete floor, and walking towards the boy. “Right here,” she says, handing the cat over, noticing that the creature immediately purrs at the sight of the young man. “You really ought to keep an eye on your pets,” she says, getting ready to turn back to her work.

“Oh, she’s not mine,” he says quickly, obviously feeling the need to defend himself. “My uh— my friend and I got in a car accident on this street earlier this week, and Bb here was in the vehicle with her crate door open, and ran away when the ambulance came. Poe will be glad to have her back.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” Rey says, genuinely. “I’m glad she can go back to her home now. I hope your friend is alright. I should really be getting back to work…” she glances back at the office door, seeing it open as her grotesque boss steps out.

He looks between the boy and Rey, scowling. “No fraternizing in here! Business only, girl, I don’t have money for you to be flirting on the clock! and get that cat out of the shop! No pets allowed”

Rey turns back to the boy, face reddening with anger and embarrassment. The boy looks between Rey and who is obviously her boss, before saying loud enough for both to hear, “Actually, I’m here for an estimate,” and Rey gives him a look as if to say “What are you doing?!”

He shrugs almost imperceptibly. “The front bumper of that car is pretty messed up from that accident I was telling you about, I was wondering if I could bring it around for an estimate — you see, it wasn’t our car. We were borrowing it as a favor, so I kind of owe the owner the repairs. The car is pretty special to him, so he’s real pissed.”

“Oh.” Rey wasn’t expecting new work to come their way, and she gets a little excited. They usually only had their regular customers in the winter, who were mostly junk salesmen and swindlers looking to make a car run well enough to sell but not last, and she genuinely hated working for such crooks. A real customer would be a nice change. “Sure. How about you bring it ‘round tomorrow, and I’ll take a look at it. Is it mostly cosmetic work, or are you having engine trouble too?” She can hear Unkar grumbling as he goes back to the office about how she had better give a price that will work out in their favor. 

“I think its mostly body work that needs to be done,” he says, “but I’m really not sure. I know more about computers than I do about cars.” He’s looking a little sheepish, as he shuffles the cat from both arms to squirming indignantly in just one and offers a hand. “I’m Finn by the way. Finn Skywalker.”

“Rey,” she offers, shaking his hand with a smile now, trying to figure out where she’s heard the name Skywalker before, but shrugging it off. 

“I actually won’t be the one bringing the car tomorrow, he says switching arms to hold the cat again. “Ben, the owner, will be bringing it because he no longer trusts me or Poe to drive it, but he’ll have my credit card information.”

“Thats fine,” Rey says, starting to head back to the engine she had been working under. “ We don’t take payment until the job is done anyway. Shop opens at ten. Tell him to be early if he wants to get in before our regular customers arrive.” 

“Will do,” Says Finn, “And thanks! For Bb, and for working on the car! Maybe I’ll see you around sometime!” He doesn’t mention how he intends to check in— not just on the car, but on Rey. She was intriguing and seemed nice once she let her guard down a little. He could do with a new friend.

— — — —

Rey is up early the next day, dressing in her usual uniform of brown cargo pants and dirty beige t-shirt and her old boots, before pulling her hair back into three buns at the back of her head to get it out of her way for the days’ work and throwing on a greasy old hoodie to ward off some of the November cold. She’s thankful that she has the tiny room above the garage, but the rent comes straight from her minuscule paycheck, so as usual all she could afford to get to eat for the morning was a nutrition bar and a piece of fruit, and she scarfs that down with some water, wishing beyond hope that she could have a nice warm coffee right now, but didn’t dare risk going into the kitchen to sneak one with Unkar passed out on his living room sofa.  
As she goes downstairs to the garage, she glances at the grubby clock on the wall. 9:30. She still has a half hour until the shop opens, but she goes ahead and presses the button to raise the garage style door anyway surprised to see a very tall guy outside, leaning against the door of a silver 1970’s Pontiac Firebird with the front right headlight and part of the bumper smashed in. He looks up at her from under the hood of his dark sweatshirt- lined leather jacket, dropping the cigarette he had been smoking onto the ground and stomping on it with big black boots before striding over to her with the cool of someone stepping out of a 1960’s biker movie. 

“So you’re the girl?” he asks gruffly, eyeing her up and down. 

She frowns. “That depends. What girl were you looking for?” she asks, annoyed at his tone. 

“My cousin Finn told me to come here and look for a thin brown haired girl who’s supposed to fix the mess he and my idiot foster brother made of my car,” He gestures to the trans-am behind him. “You’re the only one I see who fits that description.” He softens his tone at the end, seemingly realizing he had been rude. He doesn’t mean to direct his anger toward Rey, but he’s still mad that Finn and Poe had crashed this car in particular, wether it was an honest accident or not.

“Rey,” she says, extending a hand. The young man pulls back his hood, and she can see more of his face. He’s pale, with dark eyes and a smattering of moles and freckles, and has a long scar running from his right brow to his jaw. She finds that he’s got oddly attractive features when he’s not being rude, with thick dark hair that falls shaggily to his shoulders. She supposes that to most people, that scar is probably off-putting, but somehow when he smiles a little it becomes endearing.

“Ben,” he replies, shaking her hand firmly. “Ben Solo.”

She looks behind him at the car. It’s a classic, down to the antique tags, and something she would have never thought she’d have the opportunity to work on in this junk heap of a mechanic shop. She wonders how a man who can’t be more than five or ten years older than her could afford a classic like this. This car and color reminded her of a firebird she had seen in a film once— a documentary about a famous smuggler who had helped to take down the notorious New York mob of the time— The Empire.

“What year is it?” she asks, nodding her head toward the vehicle, still half awake and wishing she had been able to sneak some coffee. 

“Seventy- seven,” he says, putting his hand on the roof and looking at the car appreciatively. “She’s been through a lot.”

“I can see that,” she replies, nodding toward the damage on the front. “It looks like the car from a film i saw once at school…” She’s gazing inside now at the red leather seats, modified stereo, and magnetic chess set sitting in the center console. 

A frown passes over Ben’s face. “That because it is,” he replies, and she looks at him, surprised. “It belonged to my father before he died,” he states, keeping his expression neutral. “Han Solo.”

Rey takes a step back. “The Han Solo?” she asks, and he nods looking uncomfortable. She hadn’t made the connection when Ben had told her his name. Han Solo was probably one of the most famous rebel fighters of his generation, and had also been a decorated NYPD officer by the end of his unorthodox career, going on to marry Leia Organa, the woman who is still currently the most popular senator the state of New York had ever had and whom had gone on to serve for two terms as the President of the United States: the country’s first female leader— now retired from politics after two of the most peaceful terms the nation had seen. She had been one of the most inspirational women Rey had ever learned about growing up. Even Unkar Plutt had respected her as president, and he treated all women like dirt. She had read in a newspaper at a corner store that Han Solo had passed a year or two ago in some kind of accident and it was part of the reason for Leia Organa’s continued retirement from the public eye, and now here was their son? She hadn’t even known that president Organa had any children as it hadn’t been publicized, but as she glances back up to his slightly annoyed face she can see the resemblance to both famous parents.

“Can you fix it or not?” Ben asks suddenly, breaking her train of thought. She looks the damage over again. Getting a headlight replacement was easy enough, but it would cost him, or rather, it would cost Finn, as classic parts are harder to find. She’s confident enough in her ability to fix the damaged hood and bumper, either through replacement, or her own handiwork, whichever Ben would prefer. 

“Yeah, I can fix it. It’ll take about a week to get a replacement light, and I can work on the body in the mean time. It will cost your friend upwards of two thousand though, for parts and labor.”

Ben nods. “That’s fine. I’m not actually making my idiot cousin pay, he just thinks he is to make him sweat a bit. He deserves it after letting Poe take a joy ride in the Falcon after a full shift at the restaurant and no sleep the night before.”

“Cousin?” she asks, thinking back to the conversation she had had the day before. Finn had called Ben his co-worker.

“Finn,” he clarifies, still not letting any emotion pass his features. 

She’s putting two and two together now. Solo… Organa… Skywalker. How in the world had the children of such a famous bunch wound up at such a ripoff of a joint as Unkar Plutt’s? She guessed she had that cat, Bb-8 to thank.

“Right…” Says Rey, still thinking, and trying to kill some of the awkwardness. “Well, I’ll get started on the hood repairs today. I’m going to have to replace the bumper and light, but I know a quality antique parts provider in the city so getting an authentic piece for it shouldn’t be a problem. All I need is for you to fill out some paperwork and move it into the garage.”

Ben is studying her again, and she finds herself avoiding his gaze, unable to stand its intensity.

“No offense, uh, Rey?” he asks, clarifying her name, “but do you have any examples of body work you’ve done in the past?”

Rey narrows her eyes, but sighs, used to having clients, especially men, question her expertise because of who she is and what she looks like. She walks into the garage, Ben following, and grabs a binder from on top of a work bench, handing it over. 

“I get it, how can a girl, let alone one my age know how to fix muscle cars, right? I assure you, I have been doing this my entire life.”

Ben stammers, trying to back track. “That’s not— I didn’t mean to insult you, I just… I want to make sure that the car is taken care of. I won’t trust the Millennium Falcon with just anyone.” He opens the book, filled with before and after photos of damage she had restored and whistles in appreciation after flipping through a few pages. She won’t tell him its a book of images Unkar had pulled from the internet, not trusting Rey with a camera, but she is still confident in her abilities. She thinks that some of her work even surpasses these googled examples, so she doesn’t feel so bad for showing Ben fake work.

“Looks like you know your stuff though,” he says, handing it back, and she’s trying not to feel guilty. She’s not going to tell him that she had to learn to be great at doing bodywork to mask the faulty engines that Unkar installs on most of the cars that passed through here.

Ben is gathering up his personal items from the vehicle and starting his car to pull it in when Unkar waddles down the stairs from the apartment above in yesterday’s greasy coveralls and a tank top she assumes was once white, stinking of cheap beer and cigars and probably still drunk. He’s holding a bunch of soiled red shop rags in his hand, face equally crimson and angry. 

“Girl! I thought I told you to take care of the washing before I woke up!”

“I did.” Rey spits back in an even tone. “What was laid out got washed. Its not my fault if you had those hidden around there somewhere.”

The large sweaty man lumbers over to her, leaning down close to her face. “You ought to watch your tone with me. Don’t forget who puts a roof over your head.”

“For paying you twice what you pay for rent yourself!” Balks Rey, her frustration growing. She hears the car pull into the garage, stopping a few feet behind her. She knows that the window is down and Ben can hear their every word. “We have a customer,” she states, cutting Unkar off from continuing his rant in a way she knows she should’n’t. The bulbous man raises an arm, and Rey flinches while trying to keep her shoulders squared, but the impact never comes. As she hears Ben open the driver side door to step out, her former foster father must have thought better of striking her in the presence of a paying customer who’s not one of their seedy regulars, instead throwing the towels to her feet in a huff, stating that she had better get them cleaned by closing time or she’d be locked out.

Ben, for all of his stern seriousness thus far, is now looking at her in concern. “Who was that?” He asks, his eyes going to the office door that has now been slammed shut with suspicion.

“That was Unkar Plutt, the owner of this fine establishment,” she replies, her eyes also going to the office door, hoping that its where her boss will stay for most of the day. 

Ben frowns. “Does he speak to all of his employees like that? Over grease rags?”

Rey’s eyes go to the floor, fighting embarrassment that has become familiar to her now. “He has no other employees. Or tenants.”

Ben’s eyebrows knit together, and Rey can see a deep crease form between them on his forehead. She had thought for a second that she could see genuine worry in his eyes, but it passes as quickly as it comes. Ben doesn’t know her. He has no reason to feel worry for a stranger.

Rey arrived to New York as a very young child, around three years old, on the promise of being reunited with lost family that had never come to meet her, and after years in the rough Brooklyn foster care system, mostly under the care of Unkar Plutt, she had been conditioned to mistrust any sympathy provided to her. She had basically raised herself around Unkar’s abuse, how to avoid it, and the deep rooted knowledge that her family were never coming back. After she became a legal adult and he was no longer required to provide for her she continued to work hard for what little she got in order to survive, staying in her tiny little room, and spending her meager wages on what food she could afford. She didn’t see that she had very many other options, if any. She had attended public school, briefly, to satisfy state law, but hadn’t graduated high school and had mostly grown up in the shop working on the cars, and with no other education or job experience, she didn’t have much of a resume to seek employment elsewhere. She wouldn’t see most of the payout from this job, but that didn’t matter right now. It was a job, and if she was really lucky she would get a ten percent payout of her wages at the end of each period, the rest going directly to Unkar for rent and “utilities”. She couldn’t spend time focusing on what sympathy this tall stranger had or didn’t have.

After drawing up the paperwork for Ben, he leaves on foot with the promise of checking in on his car to see how its coming along. As for herself, Rey just still can’t believe that she’s getting to work on such an iconic automobile.


	2. Crowbars and Cop Cars

She sees the cat before she sees the feet that accompany it, and rolls out from under the silver car on the dolly under her back to see Finn smiling down at her in greeting with a very handsome man in an arm cast a few feet behind him whom she’s guessing is of some kind of Latin American descent.

She looks back down at the orange and white creature that is now meowing very close to her face and spies a bright orange lead attached to its collar. “You walk your cat on a leash?” She asks with an air of incredulity, not surprised to see Finn here. It has been nearly a week, and either Ben or Finn have stopped by every day to check on the progress of the car. Rey had suspicion however, that at least for Ben, after what he had witnessed with Unkar Plutt, it was more to check on her, and she didn’t know how to feel about that.

“It’s Brooklyn. Weirder things have happened,” Finn responds, jokingly serious. “I’m not about to let her run away again.” Rey sits up.

“I suppose that’s true,” she responds. She had connected much more easily with Finn over the past week, feeling like she can joke with him openly now, having grown used to him sitting nearby and watching her work, handing her specific tools when she asked, even if she had to instruct him on how socket wrenches worked. Ben had kept his distance and hadn’t talked much, but she found that after the second or third visit that she didn’t mind his company either, even if it was mostly silent.

“We wanted to come and thank you,” says the older of the two men. “Or at least, I wanted to thank you. For finding and taking care of Bb-8. I’m Poe by the way, Finn’s boyfriend and Ben’s foster brother,” explaining his relation to the family that had started to intrigue her more and more after a week of Finn’s stories about everyone.

She takes his offered hand, the one not in a cast, expecting to shake it, but is instead hauled to her feet, and into a friendly hug. She looks between Poe and Finn, suddenly making sense of things. Finn had spoken a lot about Poe during the week, but she hadn’t guessed that they were dating. Perhaps she should have for all that Finn was practically gushing. He looks sheepishly to the ground, letting Poe take his hand. 

“Finn here still isn’t used to telling people we’re together after hiding it for so long, but that’s okay. When the president’s adopted son dates the son of her twin brother who happens to be the city’s police chief, it tends to make the news, so we only really came out after she left politics and he retired.” Poe knocks his shoulder into his boyfriend’s happily. 

“You’re the foster brother Ben talked about?” she asks, wiping her greasy fingers on a rag, and bending back over to stroke Bb’s soft fur, receiving a meow-purr that sounds more like a happy chirp. 

Poe nods. “Yeah. Adopted, actually, but Ben doesn’t acknowledge that very often. My parents passed when I was about seven when a sting operation went wrong, and I basically grew up with Ben and around his parents before that on diplomatic missions and in police offices here in the city, so after that it only made sense for them to raise me. Leia and Han… they were the best; a little dysfunctional, but still great. I still call Leia mom, although Ben doesn’t like that too much either.”

“How come I never heard about President Organa having children?” She can’t help but ask.

Poe shrugs, a sad smile gracing his face. “She made the decision before her first campaign to keep her private life as private as possible. It just made sense logistically. Ben and I never went to the white house. We were both thirteen at the time and kept here in New York with her brother Luke for the most part. Sometimes we travelled with Han. She felt it was safer for us. She was probably right. It didn’t keep Ben from seriously testing his boundaries after a while, and taking a job completely off their grid for a few years, but not much permanent harm was done. Finn’s Dad saw to that. ”

Rey doesn’t comment. She can tell there’s more to the story, but doesn’t know them well enough to pry. She’s also trying to hide her jealousy at Poe’s mention of being adopted. That was something she had given up hope on for herself a long time ago, and now at the age of twenty, its too late. 

“All three of us were in foster care or adopted at some point,” Finn points out pointing from himself, to Poe and Rey. “That’s pretty cool.”

Rey nods, cool not being the adjective she would have chosen. 

Poe, seemingly sensing her discomfort changes the subject. 

“So, the falcon looks like its back to pristine condition” he says, walking around the front to look at it at different angles. “You can’t even tell that I crashed it,” he says, raising his casted arm. 

“Almost,” she responds, laughing at his guilty expression and placing a hand on the corner housing the new headlight. “There’s still a few finishing touches I want to put on, but it should be ready tomorrow if you want to let Ben know.”

“GIRL!” She hears the office door fly open, slamming against the wall and winces, turning towards Unkar Plutt’s fat frame in the doorway. She resists the urge to roll her eyes, and turns calmly toward the older man. “GET IN HERE!” he growls, his expression challenging, as if daring her to disobey. 

Rey glances at Finn, who had seen one of these outbursts before, and Poe, who looks both surprised, confused, and angry. “Sorry,” she says, throwing her rag onto the hood of the vehicle and making her way to the office, hoping beyond hope that her former foster parent would keep his temper at least a little bit this time. 

Unkar closes the door so there’s only a crack before grabbing Rey’s wrist, leaning down so his face is inches from hers. “What have I told you about socializing on the clock, girl?” he hisses. 

Rey stays quiet, glaring back. 

“ANSWER ME!” he shouts, squeezing her thin wrist in his meaty hand, shaking her a little. She’s aware that Finn and Poe can probably hear everything, and with the light on in here, and the garage mostly dark, can probably see the confrontation pretty clearly through the tinted window on the door as well.

“They’re customers.” She states calmly. “They’re here to check on the car.”

Unkar lets out a noise of frustration. “Don’t test me, girl. Regular customers don’t stop by every day. I don’t know who they are or how you know them, but once that stupid Han Solo knockoff-mobile is out of here they had better not come back to distract you from your work.”

Rey bites her lip, feeling anger course through her, not wanting to lose the people who could possibly be her very first friends, and also not wanting to stoop to Unkar’s level. She wishes again that she could have some sort of freedom from this hell she’s been working in since childhood. “You can’t control what they do! And they’re the highest paying customers you’ve had all year, you should show them a little respect” she says loudly. 

“Maybe not,” he laughs darkly, “but I can control what you do. If they come back after that car is gone, you’re out of here.”

“You can’t do that!” Rey yells, both scared and angry. “I’m of age now! I— I pay rent! Who would fix the cars for you?” What she doesn’t say, what she’s really thinking, is where would she go?

“Someone more grateful can take your place,” he states, repeating the sentiment that she had grown up with: that she was replaceable. She doesn’t even register his fat hand coming down to backhand her across the cheek until it has already happened, and she bites her lip hard, splitting it and drawing blood in order not to make a sound. Her cheek throbs and her vision swims slightly as she works to find her equilibrium again. She’s already weak from not having eaten since the night before, and the backhanded hit makes her dizzier than she’d like. She doesn’t want to alarm the men outside in case they’re still there listening, and she’s hoping they’re not. If they know what’s good, they’ll have left.

“You’re sleeping with one of them, aren’t you?” Unkar growls. “Or all of them?” He squints his eyes at her.

“What? No!” Rey’s own eyes grow wide. “How could you even think that? When would I even have time for that? Not that it would be your business.” There it is. A challenge to Unkar’s authority. She had really stepped in it this time.

“I see the way they look at you, girl. Especially that tall pale one. Don’t lie to me, you little slut. You’re a whore just like your mother, aren’t you?.”

“Shut up!” Rey yells, having had enough of his comments on her mother over the years. She wasn’t even really sure that he had known her at all, but he always pretended he did. Plus, between working in the shop all day, taking care of his washing and cooking at night, and barely getting a break to sleep or find food for herself, where would she ever find the time for a relationship? She had never even had a real friend before let alone care for someone and be attracted to them enough to even consider losing her virginity, but it was the comments against her mother, the kind and warm-hearted woman she remembers bits and pieces of, that really spark her anger.

“Shut up! My mother was not a whore!” She has angry tears in her eyes now, made worse when the large man twists her wrist until its behind her back at the wrong angle. 

“I TOLD YOU NOT TO TEST ME, GIRL.”

He lifts up on her arm and she feels something in it give a sickening pop, and can’t help but to let out a shriek of pain, suddenly nauseated. Unkar hadn’t been this physical with her since she was in her early teens and the police had come after passerby reported screaming. She’s starting to see black spots in her line of vision again at the pain when he suddenly lets go, letting her fall to the ground. She pulls her arm into her chest, protecting it, realizing that the door has been pushed open with enough strength to slam it, and she sees Finn and Poe. To her alarm, Poe is holding a crow bar from the shop over her former foster father with his good arm, ordering him to back away and put his hands up as Finn holds one cell phone up, video taping, and holds another to his ear. 

“Police are on the way and we have everything on video. I suggest you back away from her unless you want to incriminate yourself further,” Poe states, his eyes trained on her former foster-father. 

Rey tries to struggle to her feet. 

“Don’t try to move, honey. Wait until the medics arrive.” Poe tells her gently as he continues to stare down Unkar Plutt, and she thinks that maybe he has the right idea as her vision begins to go again at the pain in her wrist, and she’s struggling to control her breathing. She wonders if she’s going into shock. For his part, Unkar has gone pale, and the sweat is visibly beading on his brow as he realizes that for the first time, he is actually, truly in trouble for his actions.

Its not even another two minutes before she hears the sound of sirens outside come to a halt and boots running in. Poe and Finn back away from the doorway, allowing two burly officers to grab Plutt by his meaty arms, hauling him out of the small office into the larger garage, reciting his rights while Finn speaks to another officer, showing him the video he had taken. Rey could hear the repeat version of their argument, and she’s fuming again, her head reeling from all that had just happened so quickly and her vision still swirling from the pain in her arm. 

A medic kneels in front of her on the floor, a thin middle-aged brunette woman who introduces herself as Dr. Kalonia. She shines a light in each of Rey’s eyes, asking her questions about her health that Rey can barely think straight enough to answer before instructing Rey to support her wrist with her other arm while she stands, and helps her into a waiting ambulance. Rey is scared, not knowing where they’re taking her, or what is going to happen. She can’t afford hospital bills, let alone this ambulance, not to mention that with Unkar Plutt arrested she essentially had no work or home. Where would she go? What would she do?

“Hold up!” she hears behind her, and glances around to see Finn jogging up as they’re getting ready to close the doors to the ambulance. “Let me ride with you!” He says, and the medics look to Rey for permission, and she nods, glad that she won’t be alone. She’s never been to a hospital before, and doesn’t know what to expect.

Poe runs up, looking serious. “I’ll meet you there,” he says to Finn, kissing him quickly on the lips. “I’m going to clear everything here real quick and call Ben. I think we need Leia and Luke, too,” he states, and Rey isn’t sure what he means and is having trouble focusing now, but she does know that she doesn’t want Ben to see her like this. She doesn’t want to see that concern she had caught in his eyes numerous times in this weird past week, and for him to know that he did indeed have reason to be concerned about her boss, even though she had assured him twice now that she was fine. She feels stupid and humiliated, and her arm hurts so goddamn much, but ultimately, she doesn’t want Ben to think she can’t take care of herself. 

“Hang in there, Rey,” Poe says to her before running off toward his car, the cellphone that Finn had used to ring the police raised to his ear.


	3. Too Much to Take In

The ride to the hospital is quick but painful, with Dr. Kalonia instructing her to try and keep her arm as still as possible until it can be x-rayed as they go over a seemingly endless sea of potholes. Finn, who has had his phone taken by the police to retrieve the video evidence seems to not know what to do with his hands, shuffling between twiddling his thumbs and drumming anxiously on his knees and keeps assuring Rey that she’s going to be okay. It seems to Rey like he’s reassuring himself more than her, and she’s not quite sure why because she’s practically a stranger to Finn.

Rey stays quiet until they’re inside the big sterile building, following the directions of the doctors and not knowing what to say to Finn, but glad of his presence. Finally, they’ve taken x-rays, and given her some really strong pain medication. Rey is starting to feel loopy and tired when suddenly she sits upright looking alarmed. 

“Bb-8! Finn, where did the cat go?!” 

“It’s alright, peanut. Bb ran off to our car when she heard the sirens. Poe’s got her.”

“Oh.” Rey visibly calms down again, letting the medicine calm her rapid and mostly self destructive thoughts. “Peanut?” She asks, and Finn shrugs. 

“I think it fits you. It’s cute and small and nice.”

Rey smiles goofily. “Peanut.” She says, her eyes closing allowing herself to doze for a bit, and not think.  
— — — 

When she wakes up, Dr. Kalonia is standing over her, hand gently on her shoulder. 

“It’s a clean break,” says the medic. “Which is probably better as that means it’ll heal more evenly. You will need surgery though, to get a plate put in.”

Rey’s eyes widen. “Surgery?” she asks. She can’t afford that! Hell, she can’t even afford the ambulance ride over here.

“It’s not so bad!” she hears a voice further away and turns to see Poe raise his own casted arm, clearly misunderstanding her alarm for fear of the surgery itself rather than fear of paying for it. 

“But— I can’t afford it,” Rey stammers. 

“Don’t worry about that right now,” she hears another voice and she turns to the other side, seeing an older man she hasn’t met. He has a haircut almost as shaggy as Ben’s and a full greying beard, and a face that is kind and inviting with bright blue eyes and laughter lines. The man gives her a smile and she goes quiet, with the feeling that protesting right now would get her nowhere. She finds that his reassurance has calmed her more than it probably should and its like she suddenly can’t argue back even if she tried.

“Rey,” The man says, stepping to the side of her bed, “I’m Luke, Luke Skywalker. This is officer Charles Bacca who is in charge of your case,” he gestures to a very tall man, “and my assistant and your new lawyer, Mr. Threepio is here to take notes. We have a few questions for you, if you’re up for it.” 

Rey eyes them; the very tall older man with long brown hair in a ponytail and big bushy eyebrows, and a smart looking man in a flamboyant suit. Both look kind and patient as well, and she finds herself nodding, looking around to take note of who else is now in the small room. Her eyes land on Ben sitting in the corner trying to blend in to the background, but who is much too large for the hospital chairs and looking very grumpy with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression smooths out to a near smile when he notices her looking however, but she sees it again; the concern she had come to both expect and dread. Poe was still in the room, off to her other bedside, and in the hallway past Dr. Kalonia she can see Finn talking to a rather short older woman with a braid down her back who’s face she can’t see, and two of the officers she recognizes from the shop earlier.

“Let’s start with today and work our way back,” says officer Bacca in a voice that’s gravelly but not entirely unpleasant. “What time did Finn and Poe come into the Garage today?”

Rey tries to think back. She had had her fifteen minute break around one o’clock, and had then worked on the Falcon for probably an hour before she noticed Bb -8. “Around two,” She states. “Maybe a little after.”

“And how long did you converse with them before your boss called you into the office?”

“Not more than ten minutes, I don’t think,” she says, trying to recall the day’s events.

“That’s consistent with our records. The call went to police at 2:26pm. Can you tell us what you discussed with Poe and Finn?” Asks Charles, and Luke gives her a reassuring smile. 

“Umm,” she thinks back. “The cat, at first. Bb-8.” She answers. “And then, we talked about Poe and Finn,” she says, the conversation starting to come back. “Poe told me how he’s related to Ben.” 

Ben looks up at the mention of his name, his expression unreadable. “And then Poe started asking about the car, and how close it was to being finished. That’s when Unkar opened the office door and yelled for me.” She answers truthfully.

“You can’t recall saying anything that could have angered him?” Mr. Threepio questions this time in a posh British accent, much more distinct than her own watered down brogue.

“No,” Rey shakes her head. “I don’t even know that we were speaking loud enough for him to hear our conversations from the office. He came out when Poe made me laugh. Unkar has always hated it when I laugh in the shop,” Rey says, her tongue feeling loose from the painkillers. Normally she wouldn’t have said as much. 

“What a killjoy,” Poe mutters, and Luke casts him a warning look. She see’s the corner of Ben’s mouth quirk up at the comment.

Luke frowns, glancing over to Mr. Bacca. 

“Rey we have footage of the altercation so we don’t need to discuss that, but Ben and Finn have both expressed their worry for your situation to me throughout the week.” 

Rey glances towards Ben, who is looking guiltily at his shoes. So he had told Finn and Poe about what happened when he dropped the car off.

“Does Unkar Plutt raise his voice often?” asks the seasoned looking officer. 

Rey nods. 

“Can you expand on that?” he asks. “How often?”

“Often,” Rey states, and can’t help but feeling like there are going to be unforetold consequences for her revelations. “A few times a week. Every other day, maybe. It depends on if I do something wrong.”

“If you do something wrong?” the man asks. “What kind of things?”

Rey shrugs, her head beginning to ache despite the pain killers she’s on, and she’s really not in the mood for an interrogation. “If I miss something in the wash, or burn his food, or forget to add parts to the books or if I’m out of the shop for too long when he sends me on errands. If I spill something or make too much noise. Anything, really. Sometimes he yells for no reason other than to yell it seems like.” She hates answering these questions, and feels vulnerable in ways she’s not used to. “I have a short temper too, though,” she adds quickly, not that it will help.

 

“How long have you been working for him?” Mr. Bacca asks.

“As an employee, for two years. Since I turned 18. Before that, since I went to live with him when I was six.”

“You worked while in his care as a child?”

Rey hesitates. 

“Yes or no is all I need,” the officer says. 

Rey nods. “Yes.”

“Has he physically hit you or laid a hand on you before today?”

Rey hesitates, but replies in the affirmative. 

“Has he ever touched you sexually?” he asks. 

Her eyes widen. “What?”

“Just standard questioning,” Luke says, with a reassuring nod. 

“No,” she says clearly. “He’s never touched me like that.” She swears that she can see Ben and Poe both let out a breath. 

“You live above the garage, correct? Do you pay rent to him?” Bacca asks.

“Yes.”

“How much per month?”

“Twice what she should!” Ben chimes in, and his uncle turns to look at him.

“Ben, I’m questioning Rey,” he admonishes with a stern look.

“$2000 per month for one room, out of my paycheck,” she states. “Plus half of the water and electricity bill. $2600 per month total, I guess.”

Luke frowns again but lets Charles continue his questioning.

“During the day, how long is your shift? How long are your breaks?”

“I don’t really understand why that matters,” says Rey, feeling defensive again.   
Luke puts his hand on her shoulder in reassurance. 

“Everything will make sense real soon,” he says, ever calm. “Just answer to the best of your ability.”

“The shop opens at ten, but before that I make his coffee, and make sure the books are balanced from the day before and make his deposits at the bank up the street before opening the shop, so my day probably starts around six-thirty am. I get a fifteen minute break at 12:45 if we’re slow enough for it, and then I work until Seven-thirty. After that I run whatever errands he needs doing, and cook his dinner, and do whatever laundry needs to be finished. I eat and go to sleep around eleven pm, and then the day starts over.”

Ben stands from his seat in the corner, shaking his head before walking out of the small room, and Rey’s not sure what she’s said to cause that reaction. She can see the short woman in the hallway reach to lay a hand on his arm but he shakes his head and shrugs her off, continuing to walk away. 

“Have you ever considered leaving his employment?” asks Bacca, directing her attention back to them.

“Yes,” Rey responds. “I’ve thought about it, but I have nowhere to go and no references for a new job. I never had much schooling either. I tried to run away once, when I was twelve, but I didn’t get very far. The streets at night scared me, so I went back. That was the first time he hit me.”

“Alright. Thank you, Rey. Last question.” Luke pauses, meeting her eyes. 

“Has he ever given you the information he has on your family?”

Rey’s eyes snap to Luke’s, who’s expression is masked. “He has information on my family?” she asks, shocked.

“I take that as a no,” he states, nodding to Mr. Threepio, who is still taking dictation. “Yes, Rey. According to your information in the foster care system, he has a file of information regarding your family that was to be given to you when you reached the age of sixteen. The system has it marked that you reviewed the packet and that you have repeatedly accessed the trust fund left in your name. If this is not the case, then I will need you to sign these documents that state that Unkar Plutt has both withheld information vital to you and accessed your assets without permission.” He produces a stack of papers from a briefcase sitting on a nearby chair. 

Rey nods, not quite comprehending what this means, but signs with the offered pen. She’s still loopy from the medicine and her arm is still throbbing, having been abandoned for the time being while she talks to authorities, and she just wants to go back to sleep and wake up and have everything be an awful nightmare.

Charles Bacca produces another document, and places it in front of Rey to sign. “This document states that everything you have told us today is the truth and nothing but. Rey, this document will allow Unkar Plutt to remain incarcerated pending trial for abuse, extortion, theft, neglect and mistreatment of a minor, as well as tax evasion and other crimes still being investigated. It will also ensure, pending trial that you will receive in full the amounts you have paid him in rent and utilities since becoming his tennant, and the amount he has swindled from your personal accounts, plus damages.”

“He’s going to jail?” Rey asks, and Luke nods.

Rey doesn’t know what to do other than sign the papers. She had wished so often that she could find a way out. That Unkar would get what he deserved. Now that it was happening she knew she should be happy, and she is, but she is also feeling incredibly lost, and not entirely understanding the situation. 

“I have accounts?” Rey asks, confused. 

“Yes,” replies Threepio, very matter-of-factly. “Substantial ones if I’m not mistaken, left to you by your grandfather, Mr. Ben Kenobi. He was a great man, if I do say so myself.” He packs away the papers and heads out of the room with Mr. Bacca, having all that they need. She’s left with Luke and Poe. 

“Coincidentally,” says Luke, pulling the chair that Ben had vacated to her bedside, “I knew your grandfather.” He sits slowly, relaxing a bit now that the legal work is over. This girl deserves answers and he intends to give her what he can, not only because he feels indebted to his former mentor and colleague but because his kid and nephews like this girl, and he could feel his own almost fatherly connection to the young woman.

“He was a great man. He was the chief of the city police for a long time, and my mentor when I was young and just starting out. He was also instrumental in insuring that my sister Leia and I were placed in caring foster families of our own once upon a time, before we even knew the other existed.” He glances at the woman in the hallway, who is now facing Rey, and she raises her hand in greeting before entering the room. 

Rey isn’t sure how to comprehend what she’s learning, let alone that the former president is coming to stand by her bedside and that she’s talking to the famed former NYPD police chief Luke Skywalker. He had been the one to first rid the city of the rampant dark crime mob that had been taking over in the seventies, and had helped in the more recent rebellion as well.

“Rey, i’m not sure how you came to be with Unkar Plutt but we are investigating. You were supposed to have been sent to me, but I had no idea until today after reviewing your records, nor that you existed at all. A lot of information got botched and covered up by First Order deception during your US arrival, and you were effectively hidden from us, and for that I am sorry. If I had any idea that old Ben Kenobi had children, let alone a granddaughter, I would have stepped up long ago,” says Luke.

“Kenobi,” Rey says. “Was that my grandfather?”

Luke nods. “Obi Wan Kenobi. He went by Ben. One of the greatest officers this city, and even this country, has ever had. He was instrumental to the fight against the mobs and gangs that plagued New York, and the city wouldn’t be what it is without him. I’m sorry I can’t offer you any information on your parents, but I can tell you all you want about Ben Kenobi. He was one of my best friends and my career partner for a long time.”

“This city, this country, owes a great debt to your family, Rey,” Leia says kindly, placing a hand atop of Rey’s good hand, and giving it a squeeze. “We won’t forget it. We’re here to help you in any way we can.”

“You can start by letting us take her into surgery now,” Dr. Kalonia speaks from the doorway now that the police questioning is over. “I’m sure the girl has a lot to take in, and it will be much easier once her arm is on the mend.”

Leia and Luke both nod, getting out of the way, and Rey can’t help but let her eyes widen in fear.

“It’s alright,” says Poe, whom she had forgotten had been there listening the whole time. “I had mine done a week ago, and its just fine. You’ll get a cast for a bit, but then you’ll be just like new,” he says reassuringly. “Plus they give you the good drugs,” he says, and Leia says “Poe!” as if she’s scandalized and takes a swipe at his shoulder, making Rey giggle. Before she knows it she’s falling asleep again with an anesthetic and being rolled out the door.


	4. Pasta, and the Past

When Rey becomes lucid again after her surgery she’s in another hospital bed, and the only people by her bedside this time are Finn, Poe, Leia and Ben. They grow quiet when they notice Rey waking up.

“How are you feeling?” It’s Leia who asks, her voice kind and motherly.

Rey tries to take stock of how she does feel. Her arm aches but its dulled by whatever painkiller cocktail they had given her, and she was having a hard time focusing. Her face still feels bruised where Unkar had backhanded her, but she no longer has dry blood on her lip. Overall she guesses she’s feeling better than before, but is still very confused. She just nods, afraid to speak and slur her words, and Leia takes it as an answer anyway. 

“Rey you’re free to leave at any time, but we wanted to make sure you have somewhere to go. The garage is under investigation for the unforeseen future, so you are more than welcome to go to Ben, Poe and Finn’s apartment or come with Luke and I. Either way the two apartments are next to each other so you’ll have all of us around. It’s up to you. If you’re not comfortable with either option we can set you up in a hotel nearby until we can get you on your feet. You’re going to be pretty hopped up on pain medication for the next couple of days, so we don’t want to leave you alone. I’m sure you understand.” 

Rey just nods, feeling as if to argue with a woman who was once the president of the entire country would be ridiculous. 

She ends up at Luke and Leia’s because it has the best spare room for now, giving the boys a chance to clean up their home a bit, but she’ll move there temporarily at the end of the week. Practically any room is better than the one she’s grown up in however. She’s actually secretly looking forward to sleeping in a real bed rather than on an old busted mattress on the floor, and to using a real, clean bathtub with warm water.

Both apartments turn out to be large luxurious Brooklyn brownstones probably dating to the mid 1800’s. Leia’s place has a surprisingly eclectic and eccentric feel for someone who had been a life politician, but is still very homey with lots of plants and art and collectibles. After learning that Luke had moved in after Han’s passing to be there for a grieving Leia, renting his apartment next door to Finn and Ben in exchange for their work in his restaurant, allowing Poe to move in as well, she can picture the other place as having a much more classic, bachelor pad feel. 

Rey sleeps for most of the first day, in and out of being aware of anything, in a large plush bed with purple silk sheets, and is reassured by the way her arm aches less and less each time she wakes. The medicine makes her nauseous so she doesn’t eat much, but wakes up in the middle of her second full day, more aware of her surroundings, and ravenously hungry. Leia checks on her and sees that she’s awake, smiling at her kindly, and she can see that this woman, whom she had seen speaking about peace on Unkar’s television countless times must have been a very kind mother.

“Luke is making a late lunch for everyone,” the older woman says, opening the curtains of the room to let the bright sunlight in, causing Rey to blink. She lays a clean outfit at the foot of Rey’s bed. “I guessed the sizes, but I think they’ll fit. Let’s get your cast wrapped up and you can have a shower, and then we’ll all have some food and get you caught up with what’s going on,” she offers.

When Rey comes downstairs, fresh and awake in the jeans and grey sweater Leia had given her, she’s surprised to see not only Luke at the kitchen dining table, but Finn, Ben, Poe, and even Officer Bacca. The table is loaded with food: a white pasta containing what looks like chicken, a caesar salad, and garlic bread. Finn smiles at her and pulls out the chair between him and Poe, across from Ben and Luke, and she takes the seat, with Lea seating herself at the top of the table, tucking her legs under herself and reaching for a can of coke. 

The meal is a delicious and calm affair. She finds out that in his retirement, Luke has found a passion for cooking, and has opened a rather trendy gastro-pub, where Ben bartends, and Poe and Finn wait tables. She learns that Finn is an art student at NYU in his final year and is getting ready for a solo photography exhibition, and that Poe is ex-military, having done two tours in Iraq from the time he was 18 until he was twenty-five before leaving service due to an injury, and Ben had spent time in a special police force. She learns that Ben had been undercover for three years, up until the dissolving of the network and his father’s death, working with his uncle to rid New York of The Order, a gang that had been particularly brutal and unforgiving, while living as a member.   
This explains the scar on his face that she had wondered about since meeting him. He’s quiet through the explanation, and she can tell its not something he wants to talk about. Leia even talks a bit about Han, explaining that he had passed in what had ultimately been the final standoff against The Order. He had gone to make sure his son was alright, and ultimately lost his own life. Rey can’t help but notice the shift in Ben’s mood at his mother’s mention of his father, but she changes the subject, wanting to know more about where her grandfather fit in to all of this. 

“What can you tell me about Ben Kenobi?” She directs the question to Luke.

“He was a kind man,” says Luke. “A smart man, and very dedicated to helping people and keeping peace and calm within the city and ultimately this country. He was a skilled fighter as well, but only used violence when absolutely necessary. He was originally from England, and had an accent very much like yours. I suppose what children he apparently did have grew up in the UK as well, but he never spoke to me about them and I haven’t been able to find a record. I’m sorry I can’t offer you any info on your parents. I suppose that perhaps he thought that by not letting anyone know he had a child, he was keeping them safe. After going through your files the past few days, its become clear that Old Ben had meant to raise you himself if it hadn’t been for his passing. Unfortunately, you ending up with Unkar Plutt had a lot to do with botched paperwork and a corrupt foster care system with ties to The Order that I am personally looking into.”

“Do you remember anything about your parents?” Leia asks. Her tone is kind and concerned more than anything, and as hard as it is for Rey to recall the memories, she knows that Leia doesn’t mean to cause her any pain.

Rey plays with her fork, scraping what’s left of her food around her plate. “I just remember little bits and pieces, really.” She says, not looking up at all the eyes on her. “I remember green land, and trees, and an old stone house. Green is my favorite color so that memory sticks out to me. I remember a voice that I think was my mother telling me… promising me that she would come for me. That was when I was sent to New York on an airplane. I was by myself with an attendant. Sometimes when I’m falling asleep I hear a voice singing. Its a male voice- Irish, I think. Its in a different language— I think Gaelic. That’s really about it.”

“If I find out anything, Rey, I promise I’ll let you know,” says Luke. “Proceedings for Unkar are being pushed forward, and should be done within the month. We’re going to do whatever we can to help you.” Everyone around the table nods, or smiles. Poe gives her hand a squeeze over the table and Finn nudges her. In her brief time awake during the past few days, those two had constantly been at her bedside trying to cheer her up and reassure her that she would be okay. Ben would occasionally look in on her as well, but he kept his distance.

Rey is so unused to being around other people and opening up to kindness that she’s having a very hard time telling everyone about her fears and worries. Sure she’s here at Luke and Leia’s for the time being, and had an invite to stay with the three boys for as long as she needs, but she’s not sure how long that will be, or what she’s going to do. She hates, on principle, relying on charity, which is what this situation is, but currently she had less than $100 in her personal bank account, no home, and no job. She has the supposed promise of getting back the rent she had been paying for two years, plus whatever Unkar had stolen from her, but she’s not sure exactly how much that is or when that would happen. She doesn’t want to take advantage of the kindness of the Solo- Organas and Skywalkers without doing something to earn her stay. She knows that Leia had already taken care of her hospital bills as well, and Rey intends to pay her back in full.

Seemingly sensing her train of thought, Luke speaks up again. “Rey, I know you don’t want charity. I respect that. We don’t know yet how long proceedings will take, and when you’ll get back what’s yours, but you’re welcome to make yourself at home here in the mean time,” he says. 

“Or at ours!” says Finn. “You should come stay with us! It’l be fun! and Bb loves you.”

Poe squeezes her hand again, nodding, and Ben looks up from his plate across from her, looking passive, but she can see the slight quirk of his lips again, and its reassuring, as if he’s offering her a very tiny smile of encouragement. “If it’ll keep that cat out of my room, I’m all for it,” says Ben. 

Luke smiles again at Rey. “I know how hard this all probably is for you. If it makes you feel better, the boys earn their keep by working in my restaurant. I have an open hostess position for you if you want it, and you can serve or bartend if you’d like when your arm is out of that cast. I know restaurant work isn’t the most glamorous or rewarding, but it’ll keep you sharp.”

“Yes!” Rey blurts out, almost without thinking. This is her opportunity to do something, anything, and something to add to her pitifully small resume, and make her feel like less of a freeloader.

Luke nods. “We’ll start on Saturday. Just come in with one of the boys and we’ll show you the ropes.”

Leia stands with a smile of her own, beginning to clear the table, and gives Officer Bacca a tight hug when he announces his departure, half the size of the tall man whom Rey had learned had been the lifelong best friend of Leia’s late husband. Charles lays a hand on Ben’s shoulder, and the young man looks up at him, giving him a nod, and the officer is then bidding farewell to Luke, Finn and Poe, before placing a hand on Rey’s shoulder as well. “If you have any questions, kid, just give me a call,” he tells her and she nods. 

“Thank you.”

Luke and Leia retreat to the kitchen to do the washing up, and Rey is left at the table with the three boys. 

“Is your arm hurting?” Ben asks after a few minutes of silence. It's the first he’s spoken directly to her since before the ordeal, and it surprises her. “It’s just, you’re cradling it like it does,” he clarifies, and he holds his own arm as if to demonstrate. Rey lets go of her casted wrist, realizing that she had indeed been holding it without realizing, her cheeks going red. 

“I suppose it is,” she responds, looking at the bandaged wrist that is still twice as fat as it should be with the swelling. “Before one of you asks, though, I don’t want any more of that medicine. All it does is make me sleep, and I can’t think straight with it in my system.”

“That’s alright, Finn and Poe can’t think straight at all, ever,” Ben quips, grinning, causing his cousin to kick at him under the table. “If your arm is hurting though, some Tylenol or Advil at the very least can help if you want to be off he hard stuff. I’m sure my mother has some around here somewhere.” 

It feels so very un-Ben-like for him to be this worried over her, and Rey finds that she can’t protest. If he wants to make sure she’s alright she’ll let him. Its better than having him silently glance at her every two minutes as if he wants to say something, but never saying it. 

“Leia!” He yells loudly as he stands, making his way to the opening that leads to the kitchen. Rey watches as the matronly woman spins on her heel, eyebrows arched, to look up at her hulk of a son. 

“Yes, my darling?” She responds with sarcasm in her tone. 

Rey turns to Poe. “He doesn’t call her mom?” she asks in a hushed tone. Poe shakes his head. “Very rarely,” he responds. “He started calling her Leia around the time she adopted me as an act of rebellion, I think. She mostly lets it slide, knowing that she’s hurt him by not being around that much. He has started calling her mom more and more recently though, which I think has a lot to do with the guilt he still feels over the way Han died, even though what happened to Han wasn’t Ben’s fault.” Poe stops talking as Ben comes back through the door. He’s holding a glass of water and two pills toward Rey, who reaches for them saying her thanks, before he passes a glare toward his adopted brother, having heard part of their discussion. Ben Solo, she supposes, will never cease to be a mystery to her. Maybe eventually she would find out his full story.

“Did you want a tour of our place next door?” asks Finn. He’s trying to dissolve the tension between his boyfriend and his cousin and they both know it, but its effective. Rey nods, standing, and Finn yells out to tell Luke where they’re going.


	5. Tours and Tears

Rey is surprised not only by the cleanliness and organization in the adjacent apartment but by just how much they had decorated and personalized the place— something she didn’t think boys in general did very much of. She didn’t know them very well yet, but looking around their spaces, she could see little pieces of each of them. There was art on the walls wherever it would fit, which by the bright and contrasty colors she could tell belonged to Finn, and She had lost count of the number of guitars and small instruments on the first floor alone. Poe apparently had a huge interest in music, and even played small shows and gigs from time to time. Finn had been more than willing to gush for several minutes over his boyfriend’s musical talent, until Poe had practically been begging to change the subject, his face turning bright red. Rey found that she liked the carefree way in which the two boys teased and encouraged one another.

There weren't any features which at first had made her think ‘Ben’ until she had realized that most of the furniture had simple mid-century modern design that she found out were of his choosing, and then all of the books had been pointed out. There seemed to be a book set aside, half read, in almost every room. Apparently the tall man had a habit of starting new books all the time, only to then deposit them around the house to read at his convenience. The kitchen, too, pointed to the fact that Ben took his job as a bartender very seriously, with perhaps the most well-stocked bar Rey had ever seen in a house and a stack of cocktail books and miscellaneous tools (not that she had seen the inside of many houses), and Ben promised to make her something as soon as was legal. Being a former cop and having seen too many people abuse alcohol, he wasn’t about to invite underaged drinking in his own home. At this, Finn had reminded them all that he would be twenty-one in a few short weeks. 

The living room was Rey’s favorite room. It had lots of windows that let in bright light, and a big squashy grey couch draped in lots of throw blankets and sat on top of a colorful tapestry rug. There was a big screen television mounted on the wall above a fireplace, and lots of indoor plants placed around in various pots. The shelves lining both walls were packed with hundreds of films Rey had never seen, and there were four or five different gaming consoles plugged into the television, which didn’t surprise Rey one bit. The space was calm and inviting, with Bb-8 napping in the sun on the back of the sofa. Rey wanted to curl up and join her.

They took Rey upstairs, pointing out bathrooms and the utility room, and an office, and Finn’s room, which was possibly the messiest she had seen yet, the bed unmade and clothes strewn about and packed with various cameras and art supplies and computer cords. Poe’s room was neater, but still looked lived in. She noted the immaculately made bed however, wondering if that was a hangover from his time in the military. Poe seemed to like very neutral colors compared to the bright shades chosen by Finn. 

They climb to a third floor, which she learns belongs solely to Ben, who has been following behind everybody, a silent observer. Rey is surprised immediately at the amount of plant life on this floor- there is greenery everywhere it will fit. They show Rey Ben’s office, which she’s not shocked to see has an almost obsessive element of organization - book cases from floor to ceiling that she’s not surprised to find are alphabetical, and stacks of paper and journals on a very large desk that holds a computer and a typewriter. On the opposite wall are more shelves, jam packed with row after row of vinyl records and a sound system sitting reverently in the middle of it all. She looks to Ben, who’s scowling a little and rubbing at his neck. 

“Do you write?” she asks, and he looks off toward the window. 

“Its a hobby. No one reads it, though. I don’t want them to, yet.”

She nods, letting it go. She thinks its fantastic that Ben writes, and reads as much as he apparently does, and that Poe sings and plays guitar and piano, and that Finn makes art. She wishes that she could do anything of the sort, and feels a bit dumb in comparison. She’s done nothing her whole life but work on cars— which was well and fine, but not what she would have chosen for herself. She had liked school but hadn’t had the opportunity to go long enough to read many books or try any extra-curricular activities like art or music. She hadn’t been allowed.

In the hallway again she catches a glimpse into Ben’s room. The walls are white but hold little photos and pieces of art in frames scattered around. He’s got some shelves that hold little trinkets that she wants to look closer at someday and there are even more plants. He has a large Queen sized bed with the same kind of silk sheets as the one she has been sleeping in at Luke and Leia’s for the past two days, but in a deep navy color. As they pass by, Ben pulls the door closed just a little more, and she feels instantly bad for looking. 

“And here,” says Poe with a gesture, is where you’re welcome to come stay if you decide to.” He opens a door at the end of the hall to a mostly empty room. The walls are white and furniture a pale wood. The full bed has light blue-green sheets and a fluffy looking white comforter, and there are a couple of small plants on top of the dresser and on a shelf; a vine and a few cacti, and there are three windows with deep sills on one wall, offering an amazing view over the city. There’s a deep closet in the far corner that she guesses is about the size of her room at the garage, and that alone makes her feel as if she’s going to tear up. Its better than any room she could have dreamed of ever living in.

Overwhelmed with everybody’s generosity, Rey reaches out and pulls Poe into a tight hug, receiving a bright grin, and then Finn. “Thank you,” she says sincerely, directed toward all three of them. She hugs Ben as well, catching him off guard, having to stand on tip-toe to reach his shoulders, and receives a rather awkward pat on the back in return. “All of you.” she looks at each boy in turn. 

She looks around the room again. “A week ago, I was assuming I’d be stuck at the garage forever. As much as I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out a way to change my situation, but I guess fate or whatever had other plans. I only hope that I can repay all of you for your kindness sooner, rather than later.”

“So, are you gonna move in with us?” Finn asks excitedly. 

Rey nods. “Honestly, I can’t think of anything I want to do more.”

 

— — — 

An hour or two later, Rey enters the home of Leia and Luke on her own, having felt the need to get some space and quiet after the excitement of touring the other apartment and then watching Poe and Ben race each other on some kind of flight simulator game. Her head and arm were aching in a way she could no longer pretend to ignore, and when Poe and Finn got up to set about cooking something for their dinner Ben had rather gruffly told her that she should go and rest some more after catching her babying her arm again, and at that point she had to agree. Not only was she physically aching again, but she’s still so confused and actually beginning to get rather emotional, and didn’t want to fall apart in front of her new friends.

“Rey?”

The voice that calls out to her belongs to Leia, whom she finds in the sitting room relaxing on the sofa.

“Yes ma’am?” she asks, rounding the corner. She’s still very conscious of whom she’s speaking to when she addresses the former politician. At least she had managed not to call her Madam President— she had the distinct feeling that that was a title that Leia would completely disapprove of in her own home.

“Just checking it was you,” says the older woman with a kind smile. “Call me Leia, please. How are you feeling?” she asks Rey. “You look tired.”

Rey shrugs. “I’m alright,” she lies, and gets a stern look in response.

“My arm hurts,” Rey amends. “And I’m overwhelmed.” If the woman could see right through her, she may as well be truthful.

Leia nods with sympathy, getting up to fetch her some painkillers before returning to her spot on the sofa. “My boys can be a handful, Finn and Luke included,” she says. She has a look of affection that betrays just how much she cares for her two sons, brother, and nephew. 

“Its not them,” Rey says quickly. “They’re wonderful. You’re all so wonderful, and I’m so grateful.”

“But?” Leia prompts, patting the space on the couch next to her for Rey to sit, and the young girl does as she’s bid. 

Rey shakes her head as she sits down, unsure how to express what she’s been feeling all afternoon. “I just have so much going through my head right now,” she confesses. “I don’t know how to process it all.”

Leia gives a chuckle. “My girl, if any of us could effectively wade through the mess of our own minds it would be a miracle. As it is though, we’re made to be social creatures and figure out our problems together. Why don’t you tell me some of you’re thoughts and we’ll see if we can make some sense of them?”

Rey is quiet for a few moments, trying to pick a place to start. Something about the woman across from her makes her want to open up, but she has to find a way to express what she feels. She regards Leia for a moment, taking in her relaxed posture in leggings and a loose fitting top; something she would have never expected a former president to wear. Her hair is down from the braid she seems to favor during the day, and is astoundingly long, probably reaching to her waist in a mix of silver and chestnut, and she’s got a pair of dark framed glasses perched on her nose. Rey decides that Leia looks somehow both regal and dignified as well as carefree and bohemian; traits that should in theory not mix, but somehow Leia pulls it off.

“I guess.. I guess its been a strange week for me,” Rey starts. “A lot has happened in a short space of time, and I feel like my whole life is about to become drastically different from everything I’ve ever known and while I want more than anything to be away from that garage, and Unkar, I don’t know what to do. I’ve never experienced anything else, really.” She draws a breath, bringing her knee up to her chin to lean upon it, her eyes stinging with unshed tears and her nose burning. “It feels like an odd sequence of little moments; little synchronicities have built up all week to bring about what’s happening, and that’s terrifying.” Leia nods her understanding, urging Rey to keep talking. 

“Just now, Finn and Poe were treating me like a friend; like they've known me forever, and I had to get out of there before I got emotional on them. I’ve never had friends before. Not ever. Its been me and Unkar since I was three, and Unkar isn’t pleasant to anyone unless he wants their money and even then he’s a snake.”

“What about Ben?” Leia wants to know. “Does he treat you like Finn and Poe do?” Her son had expressed his concern to Leia and her brother about the young girl in the car shop the day he had met her; he had felt that she was being treated and worked unfairly, and had asked his uncle to look into it. Luke had started to but perhaps should have proceeded quicker before things escalated the way they did. It wasn’t like her son to spend much time worrying about the affairs of others, so his interest in Rey had grabbed his mother’s attention.

“Ben is very kind to me,” says Rey, reassuring the older woman about her son’s behavior. “He’s just quieter than the other two, I guess. He seems to be a very private person, and I get that. I suppose I’m pretty private about most things, too.”

The former president nods. “He grew up with two parents who were always the center of attention, so he’s never been one to really share with the class.” She doesn’t tell Rey that if she’s managed to get Ben to say more than two words to her without biting her head off, then she’s already gotten much farther than most, and she’s already witnessed him interact with Rey several times the past few days. She has to wonder if maybe her son is developing feelings of some sort for this young woman. 

“Didn’t you go to school? Did you not have friends there?” Leia asks. 

“Not for very long,” says Rey. “And I was met at the gate every day by Unkar or one of his associates. If he had seen me so much as interact with any of the other kids I wouldn’t get my dinner, so I kept to myself. I dropped out when I was fifteen and everyone started bullying me for my accent and always being covered in grease and motor oil. I never really knew how to talk to the other kids, anyway. It seemed like the safest choice.”

Leia nods. “It may surprise you, Rey, but I was much like you as a young girl. I had a kind foster family, yes, but I always kept to myself and was rather bitter and closed off until my later years. I dropped out of school very early, dead set on joining the militarized city police force that had been forming at the time. That was the late seventies. I wanted to help in the fight against the crime syndicates that had taken my real family from me. I didn’t get my GED until my twenties. That was after I met Han and had Ben and the fighting stopped for a while.”

“But you were president!” Rey says, shocked.

“Not until much later,” says Leia. “ I decided when I was twenty-five to go to university and start a political career. Ben was a toddler at the time, and I didn’t run my first campaign until he was twelve or thirteen— around the time I adopted Poe and Han and I separated for the first time. Don’t let your experiences as a child shape too much of what you can become. You still have all the power and time in the world to be whatever you want whenever you want, but also try not to make the mistake of pushing everyone you love away. I was president then, and alone and miserable. Now, I’m an old peace loving hippie who just wants to enjoy her family while they’re still around before its too late again, and that means just as much.”

“What if I don’t know what to be?” asks Rey. “I’ve never been able to get to know myself well enough to want to do anything but fix cars, and I don’t think I want to do that forever.”

“Then take the time and space to learn. I promise, Rey, there’s nothing to stop you now. Luke and I will make sure of that. You’ve spent your whole short life worrying, so let some grown ups do some worrying for you for a while. Plus if you’re planning to live with those three boys, you’ll be getting more education and culture than is probably healthy. They’re always making something or watching something, or attending this exhibition or that concert. If my hopes serve me correct, you’ll get to have some real fun while you’re still young enough to enjoy it.”

“I hope you’re right,” says Rey, allowing herself a small smile thinking of the possibilities of being free to go out and do things for once in her life or to rest when she needed to without being worked to the bone.

“I know I am,” says Leia, sitting up a little straighter. “My girl, as far as I’m concerned you were supposed to be with this family all along. I know that Luke feels the same way, and with the way you know cars, Han would’ve been smitten with you too. I know that we barely know each other just yet, but you are welcome here and always will be even if you decide to go. When your former caretaker’s trials come up, we’ll fight for all we can get for you.”

Rey is frowning, once again overwhelmed. “That’s one of the things I’m struggling with,” she confides. “I don’t understand why anyone would fight for me or let me in the way all of you have. None of you know me. Not really. For all you know I could be an awful person.”

“But you’re not an awful person.” The deeper voice comes from the corner of the room by the doorway, and Rey’s head spins around to find the source. Luke. The old officer crosses the room to take a seat in a nearby armchair, steadily holding Rey’s gaze. 

“I’ve made a career off of being an excellent judge of character, and you, Rey, are the very opposite of an awful person. I guess you’ll just have to stick around long enough for us to prove it.”


	6. Understandable Panic

Rey wakes pretty early the next morning. Her arm is still aching, and the stitches inside the soft cast are itching terribly, but having not taken any heavy medicine the day before, her head is much more clear today. She washes her face in the room’s bathroom, and wrestles her hair into a ponytail with her good hand before pulling on the jeans and sweater Leia had given her the day before. She tugs on her old brown boots, lacking in any other footwear, and makes her way downstairs. 

She’s surprised that anyone is awake, and finds Luke, Leia and Ben all in the kitchen. Leia places a hand on her arm in greeting while Luke gives her a warm smile. Ben, looking very groggy, raises the coffee mug in his hand toward her in acknowledgement, nodding his chin slightly upwards. He’s in that dark hoodie he had been wearing when she met him, and tight grey jeans and boots, and she has to fight to take her eyes off of him, finding him attractive in spite of herself.

“Morning,” she mumbles to everyone. 

“Feel free to make yourself something,” Luke motions with his own mug toward an intimidating looking machine that she supposes is for coffee. It looks nothing like the grimy old normal pot that Unkar had kept, however. 

“Um… how…”

She approaches it apprehensively, and she hears Ben give a huff of amusement behind her, making her temper flare slightly. She’s silently glad for Ben’s mother who directs a glare at her son before moving to help Rey with the machine. 

“What would you like? Espresso? Macchiato? Latte? Cappuccino? Normal old coffee?”

“Umm, I don’t know,” says Rey, her cheeks burning. “I’ve never had anything but black coffee.”

Leia frowns slightly. “Do you like sweet things?” She asks, and Rey nods. 

“Yeah. I’ve just never had many sweets. Can coffee be sweet?”

“Oh for gods’ sake.” Its Ben who speaks, and she can hear him set his mug down, and walk toward them. “I’m sorry, Rey, but we’re just going to have to give you a crash course in all things culinary— especially if you’re going to be working at the restaurant. We can’t have a server who’s never even tried decent coffee.”

Rey is about to argue with him until she sees his amused smile and realizes that he’s teasing her— something else she’s not used to.

He reaches out and takes the coffee damper from his mother who hands it over with her hands up in surrender, sending a glance towards her brother. Rey stands rooted to her spot, watching fascinated as Ben fills the thing with fresh grounds in a very practiced way before packing it down and putting it into its slot on the machine and letting a dark coffee drip into two little shot glasses. He walks over to the industrial fridge and pulls out a gallon of milk, pouring some into a small metal carafe before grabbing a tall porcelain mug from the shelf above the apparatus. 

“Vanilla or hazelnut?” He asks over his shoulder, focused on his task. 

“Vanilla?” says Rey, more of a question than a response. He nods, and adds two pumps of what appears to be a syrup to the mug before dropping in the steaming coffee. He then holds the milk under a different part of the machine, steadily swirling it and watching a gauge as steam begins to come off of the container, before slowly and rhythmically filling the rest of the mug up to the top, finishing it off with a flourish that Rey thinks resembles a bird’s feather on top of the drink. 

He hands the mug to Rey, who takes it, trying not to think about his hand brushing hers in the exchange. The contents inside look almost too pretty to drink. 

“Basic vanilla latte,” he explains in a curt way that Rey suspects is about the limit of how patient he is with anybody. “Espresso, which is very pure, very dark coffee, and steamed milk, plus vanilla syrup.”

She takes a sip, her eyes lighting up with surprise. Its the most delicious drink she’s ever had. It’s both sweet and bitter at the same time, and somehow has a very warming and comforting flavor. 

“This is the best drink I’ve ever had!” is all she can say as she hurries to take another sip. She’s welcomed with the biggest smile she’s seen Ben give yet before he hides it behind his own mug, steeling his features again. 

“Well, Rey,” says Luke, “Now that we’ve all got our caffeinated beverage of choice,” he gives his nephew an odd look, “I’ve been given the okay by Charlie Bacca for you to go and collect your things from the garage if you’d like. Ben’s going to be coming along to collect the Falcon while I go over your case with Chewie, Threepio, and our associate Artoo. We can leave as soon as you’re ready.”

“Poe said the Falcon wasn’t quite finished,” Says Ben, his question directed towards Rey. “Is it alright to drive home?” 

“I was planning to put some finishing touches on it that night,” she responds, “But its in full working order. I tried to make sure you could never tell she’d been crashed. I was just going to do some last minute cleaning under the hood and polish some of the metal.” She doesn’t want to let Ben know that she had been prolonging the project in order to spend more time with the three boys, having thought that after the Falcon was done she’d never see them again. 

“Charlie said she’s done a fantastic job,” supplies Luke. “He said it looks just like it did when he and Han first got hold of it.”

“Alright then,” says Ben, clearly anxious to get his car back. 

After Rey finishes her delicious coffee, they all pile into Luke’s car. To her surprise, Ben holds the passenger seat door open for her before folding himself into the cramped back seat and Rey tries hard to ignore the way Luke arches an eyebrow in question toward his nephew. Ben is just being polite. That’s all it is.

When they arrive there is a line of police tape across the entryway, and the garage doors are shut, but upon entering the building she finds that not a single thing in the main garage has been moved. The office however, with its door hanging open and both lights on appears to have been emptied of its stacks of papers and old computer, with several police combing through the contents of Unkar Plutt’s filing boxes.

Officer Bacca strides over to meet them, shaking hands with Luke and hugging Ben to his side despite the man’s protest before placing a kind hand on Rey’s shoulder. 

“Everything’s going as we presumed, Luke. We haven’t found the right file yet but there are still a lot of places it could be.” Luke nods, turning to Rey and Ben. 

“Why don’t you two go gather Rey’s things while I talk with Chewie?” he says, using what she presumes is a nickname for the officer. Ben tells her to lead the way, and he follows her up the narrow stairs at the back of the garage. 

“Chewie?” She asks on the way up. 

“It’s a nickname my father gave him when they were young, and apparently it stuck. His name is Charles Bacca but I grew up calling him Uncle Chewie as well. He and my dad were inseparable.” Something dark passes over Ben’s expression but its gone as quickly as its come. She suspects it has something to do with his father, or his father’s passing, but she’s not going to pry. She’s quickly learning that Ben will volunteer information when he feels its important to share. She doesn’t want to betray whatever trust she has seemed to build up with him by prying too deep. 

They pass through the decrepit living room and dilapidated kitchen which Ben eyes with disgust as Rey shows the way to her former bedroom. The tiny space that she had spent the past seventeen years of her life, give or take. It’s got an overly compressed and worn down twin mattress in the corner with a single tatty blue blanket. Rey had never wanted to contemplate very hard over where Unkar had gotten the old thing, assuming that it had probably come from the side of the road at some point, complete with stains from its former owner. She had an old oversized sweatshirt balled up at the head of it for a pillow, and her bedside table was an overturned crate. That at least, she had kept neat, having painted it white with some leftover supplies from the shop. It held a glass of water, an empty coke bottle with a dried flower, and a book she had kept from high school; a copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Ben walks over and picks it up. 

“I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume,” he says with a slight smile, and Rey can’t help but grin sheepishly, her cheeks turning red. 

“For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you,” she finishes.

“I didn’t take you for a Whitman fan,” Ben says, handing her the volume.   
I didn’t get to go to much school,” she replies, “But when I could go I loved poetry the best. I should have returned that before I dropped out, but I didn’t have the heart to.”

“So, what did you want to take with you?” he asks, looking around the room. There’s really not much here to take. He lifts the water and makeshift flower vase off of her crate and turns it over to make a box, looking around as she does. She tosses in the book, and makes her way to the small wardrobe in the corner. She doesn’t have much by way of clothing except for her oil stained work pants and t-shirts, but really, these, and the clothes she’s wearing, which Leia had given her are all she has so she throws them into the crate. 

“You know, you could always go out and get some things you actually want to wear,” says Ben, trying not to sound condescending, but coming off that way anyway. Rey doesn’t have much, but she does have pride and he’s just wounded it a bit.

“I haven’t the money,” she responds, trying to keep frustration from her voice. 

Ben bites his lip, and watches as she lifts a small box from the bottom back of her wardrobe and carefully fits it into the crate. He’s curious about the contents, but doesn’t ask. Its obviously something very important and personal to Rey judging by the careful way she carries it. 

“You have got the money, Rey. Or had you forgotten I still owe you the three grand for fixing the Falcon? You can afford to take a couple hundred out of that and buy yourself the things you need— not only clothes, but the apartment essentials you want. Things for your room, and the bathroom, and food and the like. You don’t have to live like this anymore.” He gestures around the room.

Rey looks up at him. “That’s— I wasn’t— I didn’t finish the job!”

Ben shakes his head. “Rey, I looked at the car when we first came in. It looks good as new to me. You finished the job, and would have received payment for it had that asshole of a boss not done what he did. It’s honest pay for a job well done. You can’t turn that down.”

“I was only charging you two grand,” she replies, not meeting his eye, “and most of that was parts.”

“That was before I found out all your wages were going straight to him. I was planning to tip you $1000 cash the whole time. The work you did in any other shop would be costing upwards of $5000. You’re just too modest.”

Rey glares at Ben, but finds he’s not backing down. Instead he reaches into his back pocket, withdrawing a black leather wallet, and a handing her a stack of $100 dollar bills, thirty thick. “I already had it ready and everything,” he says, closing her hand around it. He picks up the crate at her feet stepping back. “Anything else in here?”

Rey looks around and shrugs. There are a few ragged sweatshirts on hangers in the wardrobe and a pair of boots more worn than the ones she’s wearing. “I don’t think so,” she says with a sigh, pocketing the money. She knows she’s not going to be able to convince Ben to keep it, so she resigns herself to spend it on what he has instructed her to, seeing his point. She basically only has the clothes on her back. Realizing that he’s right, she silently reaches into the crate, removing the old clothing she had thrown in, dropping them onto her old mattress with a nod, which seems to appease Ben. 

She’s got a book and a small box. She can carry those with her good arm, she decides, and takes those out as well. 

“You may as well leave the crate, too,” she says and he sets it back down, looking around the small room again before following her out and back down the stairs. Rey is feeling the annoying swell of emotion again as she realizes she’s finally getting to leave this living hell of a home behind and walks fast enough ahead that Ben won’t see the tears welling in her eyes. She doesn’t think he’d understand.

She walks past Officer Bacca and his team, and past Luke who looks up from his conversation with Mr. Threepio, and a shorter man in a blue and grey suit. She needs to be outside, and keeps walking out the entrance they had come through, her breathing beginning to quicken. Unsure what to do, and having the distinct feeling that he had upset her, Ben stops near his uncle, letting her go. 

“Oh dear. Is she quite alright?” Asks Threepio, looking after her. 

“She was fine until she left her old room,” responds Ben, concern painting his features for the millionth time that week. 

“You should go talk to her,” says Luke. “She shouldn’t be alone right now, Ben. Not when she needs friends more than ever.”

Ben sighs. His uncle is right but he’s never been good at talking to people. He always manages to upset the other person, or somehow bring it back around to be about himself. He’s been trying to be so careful with the way he interacts with Rey, but it seems he’s already screwed it up. He should have found some other way, some other time to pay her for her work on the car rather than insult the only way of life she’s ever known. He had just hated seeing how little she really had. It angered him the way hearing about her non-stop schedule had in the hospital. He didn’t want to believe just how hard she had had it, because he felt like he couldn’t do anything to help. He wasn’t friendly and easy to get along with like Poe or Finn. He didn’t have their gift for talking to people, and yet here was this girl whom he was desperate to get along with, because he felt like they were connected in a way he couldn’t comprehend or explain. 

 

When he finds her, Rey is leaning against the brick wall of the building in the alley way outside. She’s crouched down almost on her knees, and he’s alarmed to see tears streaming down her face, her breathing coming in fast chaotic spurts. Her hands are locked up, almost in claws around the box and book as she rocks back and forth attempting to calm herself. He knows immediately what’s happening. Not only has Ben seen this before, but he’s experienced it on numerous occasions. This is a full blown panic attack. “Shit.”

He hurries over, kneeling down in front of her, not really caring that the ground is damp and freezing. He takes the items from her locked up hands, careful to set them somewhere dry. The tensing and lack of blood flow to her fingers right now cannot be good for her still healing arm. “Rey,” he says in the most soothing voice he can muster, “Rey, sweetheart, look at me.” He takes her good hand in his, rubbing at it, trying to loosen her fingers by giving them some warmth. “Rey,” he says again, a little more forcefully. Her eyes snap to his, looking frightened as tears still escape to roll down her cheeks. “I need you to breathe with me, okay?” he asks, trying to emulate what doctors, other officers, and even his brother Poe and his mother had done to instruct him through his panic attacks when he was having them all the time. He breathes in deep and slow, waiting for Rey to copy his actions, before he breathes out even slower, repeating it. He begins to count to four slowly as she breathes in, and seven on the out breath, telling her to concentrate only on the numbers and her breathing while he continues to count for her, massaging the muscles of her good hand until its loose again before switching to hold her injured hand gently between both palms to insure that it gets some heat as blood flow returns. He doesn’t doubt that her arm must be seriously aching now. As her breathing begins to return to normal, she gives a few small hiccups around her tears, eyes closing. He knows from experience that she’s probably very light-headed now. She looks smaller than ever, crouched in the melting slush and leaning against the building, and all Ben wants to do is pull her into himself and hold her for a while, protecting her from it all, which is something that startles him. He hasn’t wanted true human contact like that in years, and somehow this young girl was changing all of that. 

“I’m sorry,” he hears her croak out after a few moments. Her accent is as thick as her tears. 

“No,” he shakes his head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I should be apologizing to you. I was being insensitive up there.”

She looks like she wants to argue, but he shushes her again. “Can you stand?” he asks, and she nods. moving to get onto her feet. As Ben suspects, she wobbles a bit out of dizziness and he grabs hold of her good elbow to stable her before bending down to retrieve her things, which she takes again. Seeing her shiver a little he removes his hoodie, placing it over her shoulders, not much caring about the cold himself. He’s fine in the thick sweater he was wearing underneath. “We’ll have to get you a coat,” he says, rubbing at her shoulders in an attempt to warm her. Rey, since calming down, is being much quieter than normal, and he doesn’t like it but also doesn’t want to pry. 

“Have you had a panic attack like that before?” he asks, and she meets his eyes, her own, questioning.

“Is that what that was?” She asks, and he nods. 

“Yes, then.” She says. “Sometimes. Not very often. That one was the worst yet.”

Ben nods. “I get them, too,” he says. His hands are back down at his sides, but he still wants to reach out and touch her— to hug her and reassure her. 

“Really?”

He nods. “Yeah. Pretty often. It’s a lot of why I ultimately quit the police force. Mine are triggered by specific things, though. Loud noises, yelling, that kind of thing.” 

Again, Rey finds herself wanting to ask more about these small pieces she’s coming to learn about Ben, but doesn’t pry further. 

“Do you feel like you’re going to fall over afterward?” She asks, trying not to sway again, and Ben takes note of her instability, wrapping his arm loosely around her back. 

“Yeah. Its all the fast breathing. Your brain and body don’t know what to do with the change in the amount of oxygen you’re getting. It should pass soon. Then you’ll get sleepy.”

“Great,” Rey mumbles. “All I’ve done all week is sleep.”

Luke pops his head around the corner, studying his nephew and Rey. “Everything alright?” he asks, concerned. Rey’s face looks red, as if she’s been crying, but she seems calm now, and has Ben’s coat and arm around her shoulders. 

Ben glances at Rey before responding, receiving a small nod he takes as a go-ahead to tell Luke what happened. “Yeah Luke. Rey’s just had a panic attack, but I think she’s okay now. I’m going to take her home if you don’t need her for any questioning.”

As they approach Luke, the older man gives Rey a once over, checking to make sure she’s alright, before telling Ben that’s fine. “Questions can wait,” he assures them.

They leave in the Falcon, and if Rey were feeling better at the moment she would be absolutely loving the luxury of sitting in the front seat of such an iconic car. Her brain, however, feels foggy, and she’s having trouble focusing on much. She has put Ben’s jacket on fully now, zipping it all the way up for warmth, and is trying not to be obvious about burying her nose in the collar, but the scent on the piece of clothing is probably the most grounding thing she’s got at the moment now that Ben’s hand is gone from her back, and she wonders just how she suddenly became almost dependent on the man driving next to her, self conscious of her vulnerability. He keeps checking how she’s feeling, and she keeps on telling him she’s “okay” knowing he does’t believe a word.

He turns off at an intersection before where she remembers the twin apartments to be, and she asks him where they’re going. 

“We haven’t eaten yet,” he tells her. “Food will help.” He drives for another half a block before finding a parking spot. “Have you ever had Pho?” he asks. 

She looks at him. “What’s that?”

He sighs. Her world experience really is limited and he’d just have to change that. “Do you like noodles?” He asks, and she nods. “Beef?” She nods again. “Soup?” another nod. “Come on, then.” He climbs out of the car, and she opens her own door, standing with some effort before he’s there to support her again just in case.


	7. Migraines and Mothers

Rey leaves the meal with a smile on her face, feeling much better than she had before. Some of the fog she was experiencing had lifted, and she felt more aware of her limbs, and she was full to satisfaction but not stuffed. The meal had been absolutely delicious, and she decides to trust whatever food or drinks Ben decides to give her. They had kept conversation light, steering away from anything having to do with their pasts, and instead had mostly discussed Walt Whitman, and the other poets that Rey liked. Ben had agreed to loan her some of his collection so she could find new poets to love and her face had lit up like a Christmas tree. It was a reaction that Ben found he wanted to be the cause of again and again.  
When they arrive back at the apartments, Ben pulls the car down a lane to the side that she hadn’t noticed in the days before, and she’s surprised to find that it leads to a rather large garage connecting the back of both houses. He pulls the Falcon into its spot, shutting off the engine, and Rey hops out, surveying the other vehicles in the large room: a classic corvette, a mini cooper, a large Range Rover, and five Harleys; one orange, one a deep forest green, one a pearl white, one silver, and one black. By the make and model and color of each bike, she can practically already tell whose is whose. She quirks an eyebrow at Ben, and he only grins. She tries to picture the former president riding a Harley and fails.

They go to Luke and Leia’s first, entering through the back door. Rey would be staying in her new room at the boys’ apartment from now on, but wanted to thank the former senator and president first, for putting her up and helping to take care of her. They enter into the kitchen they had left that morning to find Leia talking with her other son and Finn, who hurries over to embrace Rey. Poe and Finn look inquisitively at Ben’s jacket on Rey’s shoulders, but if Leia notices she pretends not to, which Ben is grateful for. For all of his mother’s faults, knowing when to have tact and discretion was not one of them. Her discretion was possibly the best thing to come of her career as a politician.

“How are you feeling, Rey?” the mother asks. “Have you eaten?”

“I’m okay,” says Rey, looking towards Ben, as if silently asking him not to tell her what had happened right now. She’d rather not worry the others. 

“We got Pho,” her son supplies, and leis’s expression calms. “Oh. That sounds good.”

As Rey tells them more about their meal and how much she enjoyed it, Ben goes to the medicine cabinet he had seen his mother go into the day before and withdraw the bottle of advil, popping three into his mouth and taking a drink of water. When he turns back around he realizes that both women are watching him. 

“Headache,” he supplies, and Leia’s frown deepens, her eyes not leaving her son. 

“Why didn’t you say?” ask Rey. “We didn’t have to stop for food.”

He shakes his head. “The food helped. I promise. I do think I’m going to go home and lay down for a bit though,” he says, withdrawing from the room with the promise to see everyone later.”

“Is he alright?” Rey asks, and Leia nods with a sigh, still looking worried. 

“He’ll be fine.”

“He gets chronic migraines,” supplies Finn. “He had a bad concussion a few years back, and still has the headaches from it every now and then; the kind where he just needs to go and shut out light and sound for a while and he’ll be okay.”

“He should have said,” says Rey, worried now and feeling guilty for taking up Ben’s morning. 

“It’s not bad yet,” Leia assures her. “You’d know if it were. He turns into an irritable monster when it reaches that point.” Poe nods in agreement with his adoptive mother. 

It seems that every piece of information Rey learns about Ben Solo only raises more questions about him and his past. She wonders if someday she’ll learn the answers; whether she’ll be here long enough for that. She doesn’t see herself getting too comfortable here any time soon, but she’s also hoping that maybe, somehow, she won’t have to leave her new friends. Even thinking about it is making her sad, and she has to admit that she’s not feeling too great herself, still.

“Honestly, I think I’d like a nap, too,” says Rey. “And possibly something for my arm.” She frowns, hating to admit defeat, but that panic attack had really sapped the energy right out of her and made her arm throb anew. She takes the painkillers that Leia fetches for her— stronger ones again that will likely put her out for the night. That might be a good thing. She’s going to stay in her new room at the Boys’ flat for the first time, and would have probably had trouble sleeping otherwise.

“Leia, I wanted to thank you again for your hospitality the past few days. Staying here has been so nice.”

The former president smiles genuinely. “You’re welcome, Rey. I mean it. If you need anything you just come right over. And I know where to find you. You don’t have to thank me so formally. You’ll probably be seeing more of me than you’ll ever want to since I live so close and these boys are too lazy to cook all the time.” Leia hugs Rey close, ignoring the indignant protest of the two men behind them who had really only just come over to raid Leia’s fridge in the first place. Rey finds herself relaxing in the embrace, breathing in the calming smell of jasmine in Leia’s long hair, enjoying the warmth of a motherly embrace that she had been denied for so long. 

“Still, thank you,” says Rey. “For letting me stay, and for the talk last night. I think it really helped.”

“I’m always here for more talks,” the woman responds, placing a hand briefly on Rey’s cheek before letting her go. The young girl picks up her box and book from the counter before turning to Finn and Poe. 

“Care to let me into your apartment?” she asks. 

Poe grins. “Your apartment,” he says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a set of keys; one silver and one brass, and handing them over. At closer glance, she finds that each one has the word Rey engraved on the top and there is a little keyring with a star on them as well, and she has to fight once again to keep down the tears that threaten to spill over. She doesn’t want to embarrass herself in front of her new and possibly temporary flat-mates, but everyone keeps making such kind little gestures that she doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to.

— — — — 

It’s Saturday, the day that Rey is supposed to begin work at Luke’s restaurant. Out of nerves, she’s awake hours before she needs to be, and tries to be quiet as she makes her way downstairs. Ben’s door is closed so she’s guessing he’s still asleep as she passes. Why would he be awake at half-six when he doesn’t work until noon? When she reaches Finn and Poe’s landing she can hear the snores of both men coming from Poe’s room, and when Bb-8 spies her from her spot on the landing that cat begins to purr, weaving between her legs as she continues down the next flight of stairs. 

The cat follows her into the kitchen and heads straight for its food bowl, turning to look at her, so she takes the hint and feeds the creature, changing out its water as well as Bb purrs appreciatively, and she bends to stroke its back. She’s been here a couple of days now, and had mostly kept to herself despite the efforts, mostly of Finn and Poe, to get her to open up more, but she wasn’t quite comfortable yet. She was comfortable with Bb-8 though. The cat offered mostly silent companionship and makes her smile even when she gets too wrapped up in her thoughts, much like now. She’s absent-mindedly petting the cat when the side door slamming shut startles her upright, and she turns on her heel to see Ben. He’s wearing black jogging pants and running shoes with a sleeveless top under a dark grey zip jacket, and his hair is tied half up in a top knot, headphones in his ears. Its obvious from the way he’s sweating that he’s been out for a run. 

“You’re up early,” he says, taking in her startled demeanor, having not meant to scare her. She’s dressed in the blue pajama bottoms and white t-shirt that his mother had given her after leaving the hospital, and her hair is down from its usual bun, and a little rumpled betraying that she’s just awoken. 

“So are you,” she says, matter-of-factly, unable to meet his eye, instead directing her attention back to the cat. Ever since he had calmed her down during her panic attack days before she had had a hard time relaxing around Ben. He had seen her at her most vulnerable, and she was embarrassed that she had needed help calming herself in the first place. She was so independent that the feeling of needing someone else scared her and she didn’t want that reliance she had felt to become a regular thing so she had kept her distance. Ben, for the most part, hadn’t seemed to have a problem with that, seemingly keeping his own distance for the past four days. He had left Leia’s early that Tuesday citing a migraine, and then had stayed shut in his room the entire next day while Poe and Finn had helped her get settled in and taken her to buy some clothes and house essentials. Poe had told her not to worry about Ben’s moods, and that he had always gone through patterns of being social, and then isolating himself for days at a time; that it was completely normal for him.

“I have mixed martial arts training every other morning at five,” he explains.

Rey’s eyebrows raise, and she looks up at him. “Why?” she asks. He’s out of the police force now, why would he need to train? And why martial arts? He seemed like more the boxing type, if you asked her.  
He shrugs, pulling his headphones off and setting his phone down on the counter before moving towards the fancy espresso maker on the counter. “I guess, to keep in shape,” he explains. “That, and it calms my mind and helps me focus. I guess they probably told you about the concussion I got about a year ago… since then I’ve had trouble keeping my thoughts and emotions straight, and the training helps me with that.”

Rey nods, not really understanding but sympathizing with his reasoning. 

“You should try it,” he says, working on two lattes. “After your arm is healed, you should come for a session and I”ll show you everything.”

“Maybe,” says Rey. She’s unsure about the idea of fighting. She’s had so much argument and violence in her life already. 

“It’s good for everybody to at least learn some self defense techniques,” Ben says, “But its up to you.”

“I’ll think about it,” she says, not sure if she means it and wondering if he’s just telling her this because she hadn’t been able to fight back with Unkar and he thinks she needs to learn to take better care of herself. She’s not proud of that, but how could she have stood up to him for fear of losing the only home she had ever known? Her only livelihood, if you could call it that? Rey wasn’t defenseless. She knew how to fight. She had grown up, for the most part, in Brooklyn, after all, and had needed to be scrappy to survive, but she knew when fighting could ruin her lot in life; her temper got her in enough trouble with Unkar as it was. She didn’t dare be physical with him.

“Why are you up so early?” he asks, sensing her hesitation and switching topics. 

“No reason.” It’s a lie, and she can sense that he knows it, but he doesn’t push. He doesn’t really know her; maybe he doesn’t really care. When he finishes his work with the coffee machine after a few more minutes, and hands her a foamy drink with a slight lopsided smile, taking his own up the stairs with him she thinks that maybe he does care in his own quiet and slightly awkward way— that he’s just as closed off as she is about anything personal.


End file.
